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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. spell — letters
  4. branch — a division
  5. lie — to recline
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. spell — a short time
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. clip — for paper
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — to cut
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spell — magic
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com